1969 Mustang 428CJ Mach1 Boss302 test car bought from Hubert Platt NHRA SS/GA National Record Holder

My Dad was truck manager at Grant Ford in St. Petersburg Fl. I did pit-crew duty on Grant Ford’s Flying Horse 1965 Mustang. It wasn't until we raced at the 1966 U.S. Nationals that I became addicted to drag racing.
In 1968, We tried to buy one of the 50 '68 Cobra Jet Mustang fastbacks Ford built for Super Stock competition, but they were all gone. I ordered a '69 428 Fairlane Cobra, that I raced in F/S. I went to the 1969 NHRA Spring Nationals in Dallas. On the way to Dallas, I met Randy Payne member of the Platt & Payne Ford Drag Team. Randy said if I needed anything to come and see him. I broke the Detroit Locker at Dallas, and Randy gave me a new one. I ran 12.87 and lost to a Corvette with a 12.66 timeslip. That Detroit Locker was the only free part I ever got from Ford. Later that year, I suffered an engine failure at Gainesville, Florida. I got in touch with Randy, but he could not help me. We ended turning it back into a street car and selling it.
I went to the 1969 U.S. Nationals at Indy with a buddy who was racing a 289 Comet. I met veteran Ford Super Stock racer Hubert Platt. I stayed and work with the Ford Drag team for a couple of months. I traveled with Hubert and Randy helping at the track and the Performance Clinics at Ford Dealers. Hubert asked me to drive a new 1970 V-8 Maverick from Paul Harvey Ford in Indianapolis and drive it to his house in Atlanta. I also piloted Hubert's F-350 car hauler with his 1969 SOHC 427 Mustang from Dallas to his house and later had me drive it to Epping New Hampshire.
During a trip to Detroit, Hubert told me about his '68 Super Stock Mustang that he raced a Pomona in 1968 for sale for $3,500. I went home and borrowed the money from my uncle. The record was 11.70 in SS/FA competition.
In 1970, I drove to Pomona California for the NHRA Winternationals. I was the slowest in class with my '68 fastback that I only raced 6 times before. I beat a Camaro, who redlighted. Next outran a factory backed Mopar. The head of Ford's drag-racing program asked me to shut down at the 1,000-foot mark to keep from going under the record. I staged against Stacey Shields, who was driving a '68 fastback built by Holman/Moody/Stroppe in Long Beach and sponsored by Paul Harvey Ford out of Indy. I clocked a 12.00 at 104 mph shutting off, getting a win over Stacey who ran 11.82 at 120 mph. I set the SS/FA record 11.59 at Suffolk, Va that year. The following year, I returned to Pomona, winning class, then on to Phenix City, Al. and set the NHRA mph record at 120.64 mph. At West Palm Beach, Fl. I set the AHRA record at 11.46 mph at 119.84 mph.
Toward the end of the '70 season, Hubert Platt told me about a '69 Mustang body he had. It was a 428 Cobra Jet body that had been one of Ford's Boss 302 test cars. It was a factory test mule that Hubert saved from the crusher. With help from my Dad, we bought the Mustang and transferred everything from the '68 fastback over to the '69 Mach 1 in a week. The '69 was heavier so it ran in the SS/GA class. A friend of mine painted it Pearl White, with a splash of Candyapple red and blue.
I ran 121.39 mph to set NHRA record at the World Finals in Amarillo. I won the '71 Miami National Open with an 11.24, beating an 11.45 record. I was asked if I would do a tire test for Firestone at Gainesville. Ronnie Sox and Arlen Vanke were testing for Mopar. I went 11.22 on 9” slicks instead of 11.5” at Gainesville. I again won class at Pomona in 1972, best time was 11.28. Best ET was 11.18 at Orange County Calif in 1972. I set the SS/GA record 11.26 at Suffolk Va in 1974. The next day went 11.13 at 122.95, the quickest and fasted it ever went in Super Stock
The NHRA Super Stock rules changed for the 1975 season along with the gas shortage, so I decided to park this Mustang. In 1990 I decided to rebuild it to race in Stock Eliminator.
In 2004 opened Gillis Performance Restorations where we mostly restore Classic Mustangs. First order of business was to repaint this Mustang close to the way it was in the 70’s. In 2021 I raced in Bradenton and won the first round of eliminations with .005 reaction time after not racing since 2009. Best ET 11.08.

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